So it turns out I can't do it all...

Dang it.
I really really really wanted to.
I was sure if I tried hard enough I could have a wildly successful home bakery business, highly popular blog, totally rad online shop, semi-clean home, dinner on the table and a side job for extra cash and benefits while the hub finishes school.
(Not to mention a few minutes to spare enjoying my sweet husband and darling babe.)



But alas, I can not.
To be real honest, it's not all cupcakes and snuggle parties over here lately.
I'm overwhelmed and exhausted from thinking I can (and should) handle everything.
So several break-downs, tears, and prayers later...
I'm taking a big 'ol break from Sugar Mama Bakeshop.
It's not you, Sugar Mama, it's me.
Actually, it's not me either.
It's just not the right time.



Remember when you were little and you couldn't decide if you should get a triple scoop mint chip ice cream waffle cone or limited edition purple platypus beanie baby with your $5 allowance?
And you were like, "well, that beanie baby is an investment that will probably be worth, I don't know, $300 someday... but then again, ice cream is soooooo good."
And your mom was all, "you should make a pro-con list".
Well, what I'm trying to say is, the pro-con list really helped.
It made me wake up and realize that no matter how much I love to bake,
Lily and Hunter are WAY more important to me.



So what does Hunter need right now?

• A strong support system to get him through 10 more months of full-time school so that he can get his environmental science degree and get his fabulous dream job. 
• He needs his wife to step up and make a steady income with benefits so that he doesn't have the sole financial burden of our family weighing on his shoulders. 
• He needed me to volunteer to give up staying home with Lily and go back to work because he would never ever ask me to do it.   

What does Lily need? 

• A parent at home with her. Our schedules work out so that Hunter or I will be home with her all but 1 day! 
• Her mama's full attention after work and on days off... aka no distractions of orders to be filled, marketing, phone calls, or cakes to decorate. 
• Lots of smoochies, games, books, walks, prayers and love. 

All this to say, It was a really hard decision but I'm ready and actually a little excited to go back to work (my old job as a leasing consultant) and I will still blog! 

I love to bake and create recipes and record it all here. 

I love the community & support I've found in blogging. 

I just won't promise any kind of regularity.
I'll be blogging when I have time and energy for it... and when Lily's asleep and Hunter's working.
I won't be doing any advertising really. If I love a blog or shop I'll let you know about it, but that's about it.
Just wanted you to have a heads up that my shop is closing but there will be lovin' coming from my oven :)
It's too bad we can't do it all, huh?
How do you balance?

B-A-N-A-N-A-S!

I'm going to let you in on a little secret.
I looooooooove banana bread.
Ok it's actually not a secret at all.



Banana walnut muffins.
Banana blueberry bread.
Giant banana chocolate chip muffins with streusel topping (the only way Hunter will touch them).
I honestly think I could eat banana bread in some form every single morning for breakfast.



However.
I can not afford a whole new wardrobe and I would prefer not to buy one 2 sizes larger anyway...
So I went searching (pinteresting) for a healthier version and found this bad boy.
Banana bread with NO sugar and NO oil...
I'll tell you what. I was skeptical.



But I'll try anything once. Seriously, anything.
Once I had an oyster on the half shell and nearly gagged it right back up in fancy restaurant.
But that's beside the point... and embarrassing... so we'll move on.
To my modified version of these fabulous muffins that came in around 125 cals and less than 2 grams of fat each :)
So you can eat them EVERY day. Hurray!




No Sugar or Oil Banana Muffins. Say What!?!
printable version
(makes 12-15 muffins)
2 cups gluten free flour mix 
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp xanthan gum1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup agave nectar
1 tsp vanilla
2 TB flax + 6 TB warm water
3 overripe bananas, mashed

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and lightly grease a muffin pan.
• Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, xanthan gum and salt; set aside.
• Also combine flax and water in a small bowl and set aside. 
• In a large bowl, combine applesauce, agave, and vanilla. Stir in flax mixture and mashed bananas; mix well.
• Add flour mixture and stir just until combined.
• Stir in anything your heart desires... Or a little of everything if you're like me and your heart desires chocolate chips, walnuts, blueberries and cinnamon :) 
• Pour into prepared muffin pan and bake for 15-20 minutes.

Last Weekend.

It's Wednesday!?!
Beach vacation starts in THREE days and I can't seem to get it together.
Luckily when you're spending a week on the beach it's only really vital that you pack swimsuits and sunglasses... right?
Well, that's what we'll be bringing anyway :)
Before I head out I wanted to give you an update on my weekend.
It was cram packed and SO fun!
First up: baby shower cakes!



Remember the baby shower I threw last week?
Well the grandma-to-be loved the cake so much she ordered these from me :)
I was so flattered!

Next event: Horseshoe Market.
If you live in Denver you have got to go to the next one (in Oct).
Over 100 handmade/vintage vendors.
It's seriously cute and so so fun!



Unfortunately I get to these things and totally forget to take pictures...
Or in this case I took a few and they turned out so lame I'm not even going to bother posting.
Oh well! I do love this one of the mocha cookie sandwiches.
These are my new absolute fave. They're sooooo good!



Sunday I did this 50th anniversary cake for some really good friends.
I love the texture from the coconut flakes on the top half!
I was inspired by this gorgeous cake.

Now I'm off to bake sunshine cake pops and finish laundry :)
Happy Wednesday!

New look.

Happy Monday! How was your weekend?

Mine was BUSY, fun, wonderful & exhausting.

 

My mama came to visit, I made cakes galore, sold at The Horseshoe Market for the first time (and sold out! Yay!) & gave the blog a makeover.

What do you think?

I think I'm in love :)

Lots of pictures of pretty cakes and beautiful people to come... but for now I'm going to sleep.

{Life really is sweet, isn't it?}

PS: I know the tabs on the side don't work yet. Hopefully tomorrow!

Fiesta Friday {Bowtie Baby Shower}

Last Sunday I hosted a baby shower for one of my very best friends in the whole world.
Her little Henry is due in August and it was so so fun to celebrate them both!
Bekah's (mama of honor) sister is also wonderful. I really got to know her through planning this shin dig and she is fun, wonderful and super sweet.
Henry's nursery is decked out in bowties so Rachel and I ran with the theme :)



The (decaf) mocha cake was a big hit!
It was my first ruffle cake and I think it turned out cute...
A little droopy but no one complained :)



Rachel made the darling napkin/fork bowties.
Such a fun addition!



One of my favorite parts was the diaper raffle.
When I went to register with Bekah the Babies R Us employee gave us this great idea.
Ask everyone on the invite to bring a pack of diapers & have their name added to a raffle for a great prize.
A lucky lady goes home with a fab prize & the parents-to-be get a stocked up!




We had a bowtie craft station where guests could make bowties for special room decorations.



Shortbread cookie party favors.



And bowtie pasta salad of course.
I'll even let you in on the "recipe" because I think you're so cool.



Fab Pasta Salad:

-Cooked & cooled bowtie pasta (or any gluten free pasta)
-Chopped green peppers, red onions & spinach
-Grape tomatoes cut in half
-Shredded soy or mozzarella cheese
-Balsamic dressing

Toss it all together and enjoy the compliments. Make sure you tell everyone how difficult it was ;)

Happy Friday friends!
Enjoy yourselves!

 ---> Pin this party! 

Lately {nature edition}

This summer has been hot & dryyyyyyy in Colorado.
So when we finally got a "monsoon" earlier this week (aka a couple inches of lovely rain)
It was wonderful!!



So I got excited and took some pictures :)
Then I grabbed Lily and we danced in the rain.



I love how rich and saturated the colors are.
I also love how many tomatoes are popping up after the monsoon!



In other exciting news, Lily Belle is using her sign language!
We had all but given up after months of trying with no response.
But after talking to a friend who works in child development we gave it another go and wouldn't you know...
The girl's as brilliant as she is gorgeous ;)



It's kind of hard to tell from the pictures but she is signing for "more" eggs!
She has also quickly learned that she can have anything she wants if she signs for "more" of it.



Now more nature shots.
Hunter and I were standing in the front yard chatting when we realized this little guy right next to us in the bushes.
He barely even moved and didn't seem to mind us being close enough to reach out and touch.



The pups have been feeling extra snuggly.
Aren't they just precious?



Finally,  a sneak peek of the baby shower I helped throw one of my besties last Sunday!
She is decorating Henry's room in bowties (which I looooooove) so her sis and I took the theme and ran with it.
I'll post more pictures Friday, but here's a preview of the cake.



What's going on with you lately?

It's official!

Sugar Mama does weddings!!
Let me tell you what... it was nerve racking!
I was so excited but then at the last minute I kind of freaked out.
I mean it is such a big big day I got to play a part in.



But then I got into the rhythm and started busting out cupcakes :)
Eventually, this is what happened:



Pretty great right?!
She wanted antique buttons incorporated into the cupcake decor so I used a candy mold to make little wedding mint (or chocolate) buttons.



She made all of the awesome wrappers for the cupcakes!
I thought the sweet engagement picture was a really cute touch too :)

Thank you Amber for letting Sugar Mama Bakeshop be a part of your beautiful day!

Fiesta Friday {Lily's 1st Birthday Circus Bash}

Lily's birthday party was a huge success!
We had so much fun celebrating our sweet girl with fun friends and family :)
My wonderful mama made these perfect invites:



Oh & the fabulous pinwheels!



We had to have a photo gallery and the clothes line was perfecto!



The circus theme was super fun and would be complete without peanuts and popcorn :)





Gluten free & vegan animal cookies? Yes please!



The photo booth was a huge hit!
So easy to set up with a streamer backdrop and Michael's $$ section masks.
I also found the darling circus notecards at Michael's and had the guests write notes to Lily.



In the spirit of full-disclosure, all of my ideas weren't quite as precious as I was imagining :)
My genius transform-the-pop-up-tent-into-a-circus-tent-with-streamers-and-tape idea was pretty much a big fat fail. haha!



But back to the photo booth.
Opposite of fail!!













The 3 layer strawberry/chocolate circus tent cake was much appreciated!!
She dove right in without hesitation.
The girl does love food!



She also loved her presents.
We all melted when she snuggled up to her new stuffed animal.



Digging right into the musical instruments.



Not quite sure about the super hero cape from Zach... but mom and dad are huge fans!
It just doesn't get much cuter than that.



So there you have it.
Circus party success in my book.
Over and over I heard "she's so little, she'll never even remember".
But you know what?
We had a BLAST throwing this party & she had a super fun day!
I'm a huge believer in celebrating loved ones... especially on birthdays.
She has lots of fun pictures, special notes stories to hear about her first birthday party someday.
It's 100% worth it in my book!